Scions Hospitalier
Fidelitas Totalis |unique organisations =Phantom Assault Squads, Depthstriders, Ashray Scout Squad |noteworthy successors = |colours =White & Red |warcry = }} Masters of seas, the Scions Hospitalier are a welcome sight to any ally of the Emperor. Although the Scions are not the largest legion, their Apothecarion dwarfs all others as they serve at the forefront of Medical Research, seeking ways to mitigate battlefield losses for themselves and their cousins. For life is their highest ideal, as they specialize not just in medicine but also in rapid rescue and retrieval operations. A hard enemy to pin or wear down, the Scions inherent resilience gives them an edge on the battlefield as they are led by the benevolent Pionus Santor. Battling with the trident known as the Leviathan, no foe has overcome Pionus. Yet, the Insurrection will provide the one foe Pionus has never faced: another Primarch. Origins and History A Legion of reserved, calculating warriors, the Scions Hospitalier were nonetheless every bit as deadly as any other. Drawing on the expertise of their Primarch, they brought a surgeon’s precision to their operations, both to save lives and slay the opponents of the Great Crusade. While they met Xenos and Abhumans with a merciless onslaught, they were quick to extend a hand to humans both within and without the Imperium, earning respect from many of the peers as well as the common soldiers of the Imperium. Under the guidance of their sire, the Scions displayed a great pride in always seeking to improve themselves and the weapons and armour they trusted to keep them alive as they took the light of Unity into the darkest reaches of the Galaxy. However, although Pionus sought to improve Mankind, he responded with fury to those who went too far in altering it, and once-human cultures found only destruction at the hands of the XIX Legion. Besides their medical pre-eminence, they quickly established a reputation as underwater specialists, a legacy of Pionus scouring the bleak depths of Iona and fighting monsters that stood between him and the Archaeotech that could aid his people. These trenches became a proving ground for Legionaries, and a close relationship with the XVI Legion served to reinforce this expertise. Indeed, during the Qarith War, the two Legions fought together in what has been described as the most perfect submarine action ever fought by the forces of Mankind. Together, they struck a vital blow against one of the most vile Xenos powers ever to threaten Man's dominance over the Galaxy. Decades later, however, this battle would gain a bitter, bloodstained postscript. The Phantoms Initially drawn from the Atlanta Wastes around the fortress city of Mariana, the XIX Legion developed a reputation as superlative warriors, even by the standards of the Legiones Astartes. While many of their peers relied on unit cohesion and discipline, the XIX drew on the culture of the assassins who had prowled the rooftops and alleys of Mariana. This enabled them to enter the war against the Sudafrik Tyrants despite their small size. Later on they adapted, turning their skills to use in open combat as well as stealth as they were eclipsed by other Legions in clandestine methods. The result was a highly individualistic style and a virtuoso emphasis on skill with the warrior’s chosen weapon. This was swiftly demonstrated in their campaigns against the Urshek armies occupying the Asiatic Hives. Kalagann had fallen by this time, but his surviving lieutenants carved out their own domains and resisted the Imperial advance. Xiarek Chu was one such warlord, ruling through fear of his clone-brutes and his Steelfiend Brethren, a caste of genhanced fanatics known for their prowess. The Phantoms took it upon themselves to eradicate these foes, and when the gates of Huanglu they were the first into the fortress. Here they met the Steelfiends and carved through their ranks, tearing out the heart of Xiarek Chu’s army and breaking the last remnant of the Urshek hold over this region. Naming themselves the Stygian Phantoms, the XIX won astonishing victories and earned renown for dazzling feats of arms. In particular, their battles against the Eldar saw them heralded as some of the finest swordsmen in the Imperium, and they gained a reputation for grandiose, complex strategies. However, they also met with criticism from some quarters where they were perceived as glory hounds, unwilling to work alongside other Legions and adapt to their methods. At the same time, their culture of individual prowess resulted in several near disasters when disciplined opponents exploited their loose formations and convoluted strategies, and they saw a greater attrition rate among neophytes than most Legions. Three decades after the Crusade moved beyond Sol, the Phantoms gained a new Legion Master in the form of Antonidas, a grim warrior from Anatolia. His mien set him apart from many of the XIX, and worked hard to curb some of their excesses and yoke them back to the economical ways of the old Mariannan assassins. However, he met stubborn resistance from many of his captains. Despite their stable gene-seed, their numbers fluctuated, narrowly avoiding total disaster at Sulairn and losing over 10,000 warriors. Consequently, the Phantoms remained one of the smallest Legions for decades. Child of the Sea Unlike most of his brothers, Pionus Santor's pod did not come to rest on land. Instead he was set afloat on the seas that covered Iona, save for a single continent. By chance, the pod entered the atmosphere within sight of this landmass, and was spotted by a scientist named Archimados, stargazing with his daughter Inna. Iona had begun as a scientific outpost, and its inhabitants turned all their knowledge towards keeping their civilisation intact. They succeeded in this, but they knew little comfort during their lives. Conflict was kept in check largely by the danger of violence damaging the undersea structures so many people inhabited. Expeditions were occasionally mounted to the abyssal trenches, where some facilities were known to have sunk. However, almost all who ventured into those depths were devoured by the creatures that lived there, and those facilities found were often buried by tectonic activity or ruined beyond use by the pressure of the water. As the population's resources were denuded, these voyages became steadily more infrequent, and despair loomed in their minds. Archimados was one of the leading scientists seeking a way to stave off this glacial collapse, and in an unusual display of superstition took the infant Primarch as a good omen of sorts. Aside from anything else, Pionus was a new element that must surely change the equation in some way. Just how much he would do so, no one could imagine. The child's rapid growth and incredible stature were a source of fear as well as awe, but mostly he was treated with clinical, scientific curiosity. As a result the young Primarch regarded himself with a distressing sense of confusion, fortunately eased by his adoptive family. Nonetheless, as his understanding outstripped that of Iona's leading scientists, he worked to understand his unique gifts, and began to put these lessons to use. The high gravity of Iona had resulted in its people developing dense bones and a higher muscle mass than baseline humans. These adaptations also meant that they were well-equipped to receive the improvements that Pionus devised to help them and improve their lives. These were initially based on enhancing their senses and physical strength, and a resounding success. However, as Pionus began more esoteric work on replicating his pulmonary and cardiovascular gifts, he ran up against the limits of Iona's technology. Seeking a solution, he turned to the submerged facilities in the abysses. To deal with the monsters that stood in his way, Pionus turned his intellect toward arming himself and the other would-be explorers. This extended beyond their weapons and armour to include understanding the creatures; Pionus began by hunting smaller beasts, dissecting his kills to glean information on how they might be brought down with relative ease. These lessons were interwoven with his other research, leading to the creation of barbed nets and stabbing spears, employing a crude variety of disruptor fields. Thus armed, Pionus led his expeditions into the depths. These were far from easy, and the explorers faced monsters stronger and more terrible than any they had encountered before. Yet their daring was rewarded as they located several lost bases and retrieved STC templates and lost devices. With these Pionus was able to advance his campaign to grant Iona's people greater vitality and abilities, and for the first time in centuries the undersea settlements began to expand. This process gathered pace over the years, and when the Halcyon Wardens drew near, their leaders perceived a world prospering under a Primarch's direction. On meeting with Alexandros, Pionus felt true kinship with another being for the first time, and to his own surprise had to struggle to restrain his emotions. After inquiring diligently about the Imperium he asked for a meeting with his father and Legion commanders, at which he subsequently swore allegiance and pledged himself to the Great Crusade. In keeping with this, Iona became both a recruitment world and a hub of research into ways in which the Astartes might make war more effectively. The cities expanded, fed by Imperial resources, and the submarine bases salvaged and restored. The one pristine base Pionus had located, which had served as his personal Laboratorium, grew to an artificer Armatorium. Over the years it played a small but significant role in the development of technologies such as Terminator Armour, as well as the Scions' signature Waveblades. Adaptation The great dangers of underwater combat, in which a single blow could spell death, had left Pionus with a relentless urge to avoid any unnecessary injuries or losses. Consequently, he was troubled by what he saw as the wasteful practices of the Stygian Phantoms, but also wary of forcing change on them. Seeking political advice from Alexandros, he built up support among the officers of the Legion, identifying aspects of their culture and methods which could provide a foundation for his vision. Fortunately in Antonidas he found an indispensable ally, and quickly gained an understanding of the men he was to command. Those close to the Primarch at this time said his demeanour was that of an inmate released from prison. Pionus would in time make his way to Terra, but for now he occupied himself with improving his homeworld and the Legion he had assumed command of. He apprenticed himself to the most accomplished of his brothers, learning what it took to lead the Emperor’s armies. Pionus took the Phantoms’ emphasis on personal excellence and turned it to his own purposes, aiming to create a Legion that would serve mankind more effectively. Instead of prioritising elaborate, dramatic kills, the XIX began to prize clean victories. At the same time, Pionus encouraged a more compassionate attitude toward the common soldier and an appreciation for what a unified force could achieve, reserving particular praise for the Legion’s apothecaries. Traditionally viewed with some disdain by their comrades, Pionus cast their expertise in a new light; always seeking ways to understand and bring down an enemy as well as to support their brothers, they were potentially the most lethal men in the Legion. These changing attitudes were borne out both by a surge of Astartes seeking to learn the apothecary’s methods and more cohesive unit tactics during the XIX's battles. Some within the Legion resisted the changes, and continued to perform remarkable feats of arms, but were increasingly overshadowed by the 'new' XIX Legion. As both Ionan and Terran recruits embraced their Primarch's ways, the old guard shrank in numbers but eventually found a niche within a new order. Most visibly, Antonidas' elite assault cadre remained and kept their black pearl armour, while the rest of the Legion adopted the white that usually marked a Legion’s Medicae, trimmed with arterial red. Pionus applied his analytical skills to finding ways in which his sons could support and learn from their fellow Legions. Sometimes these efforts met with hostility from his brothers, but others responded with gratitude and respect, especially for the Astartes lives that the men of the XIX worked diligently to save. This gave rise to a new name for the Legion: the Scions Hospitalier. Hunters of the Depths Under the tutelage of their Primarch and the XVI Legion, the Scions swiftly became the Imperium's most renowned underwater combatants, and their tally of victories rapidly increased on land and in the void. In cutting out the egotism which had afflicted so many of their number before, the Legion had enabled themselves to wage war with the kind of unity seen among the Halcyon Wardens. Relations with their comrades, be they mortals, Mechanicum or fellow Astartes, improved dramatically, and a peculiar friendship developed between the Scions and the Iron Bears. However, this was not universal; Pionus clashed with Raktra on Punicia over the latter's merciless conduct, the two Legions almost coming to blows even while the campaign was underway. Within two decades of the reunion, with Pionus had instituted a policy in which the Scions were divided into several expeditionary fleets, with each intended to be self-sustaining. While being dispersed in this meant they won fewer massive, overwhelming victories than some of their fellows, it did gain them experience in myriad theatres of war. For the first time, their strength was near-constant. In times of need multiple fleets would converge to combat an especially powerful enemy, as seen during the Malacos Purge. In contrast to the Drowned, insular and distrustful of anything but their own strength, wits and resolve, the Scions assembled an impressive array of war machines with which to perfect the art of submarine warfare. Cybernetica maniples and extensively modified gunships featured prominently in their arsenals, and their campaign in the Mothran Abyss earned them the allegiance of the Legio Gojira and the Knight House Toho. With such forces at their side, their rolls of honour only grew, and at times Pionus would hold overall command in campaigns with his 'younger' brothers. In this, and so many other things, Pionus drew comparisons to Kozja Darzalas. Found only a year apart, the two were alike in their talents, yet remarkably divergent in character. Kozja was imperious, ordering his Legion entirely according to his will and creating its auxiliary elements from the armies he had founded on his homeworld. Pionus adapted his Legion from what he found, entrusting much to his lieutenants and seeking out suitable mortal armies to support his campaigns. It is not necessary to look far to see parallels with how they each approached the genetic sciences, and this issue above all would divide them. Yet until the new millennium, such matters merely lurked in the background, and it was in politics and military doctrine that Pionus and Kozja differed most clearly. Here we can see shortcomings which, perhaps, kept both from consideration for the rank of Warmaster. Neither commanded the loyalty of their brothers quite as effortlessly as Icarion, nor did they possess Alexandros' knack for political manoeuvring. For his part, Pionus dedicated himself to the Crusade, and made his Legion into some of the best-loved champions of Mankind. By common consensus, their finest hour was the Qarith War, which saw Pionus rally almost the entire Legion to confront the foul Xenos for which the conflict was named. While the Crimson Lions and Steel Legion had successfully stalled the Qarith's advance, it was the Scions and The Drowned who made it possible to push the amphibious monsters back, taking the fight to them in their watery strongholds. After several years of savage combat, the two Legions spearheaded the attack on Qarith Prime itself, crushing the aliens underfoot. The Scions departed to aid the Iron Bears in the conquest of Laeran, before returning for the Qarith Triumph. While many of their cousins were dismayed at the Emperor's return to Terra and the appointment of Alexandros as Warmaster, the Scions took it in their stride. Indeed, Pionus and several of his captains acclaimed Alexandros' choice from the very beginning. Over the following decades Pionus would remain a consistent ally of the Warmaster, dedicated to preserving the unity of the Crusade. However, when the work of Vizenko brought the simmering conflicts over gene-augmentation to the surface, the Scions were forced to take a side. After the Triumph, Pionus began to put out feelers to other Legions, fearing that if their work continued they would utterly estrange the Astartes from the people they were meant to serve, and endanger his own dreams for elevating the whole of Mankind. He also privately attempted to warn Kozja, but his cautions were ignored. Within a decade, matters came to a head with the Vizenko Prosecution, and Pionus felt forced to take the stand against his brother's Legion. He managed to salvage something of the compromise he had hoped for on gene-augmentation, but at a cost. To those on the other side his actions smacked of hypocrisy, alienating The Drowned, Warbringers and a large portion of the Eagle Warriors and harming already sour relations with the Berserkers of Uran. In the aftermath of their hollow victory the Scions proceeded as before, serving with distinction on several collaborative campaigns, included one celebrated war alongside the Lightning Bearers against the slaver-lords of the Ngyverug. They were closest of all, however, to the Iron Bears and Halcyon Wardens, and when Icarion turned against the Emperor he knew that Pionus would never side with him. The Scions were marked for death. Notable Campaigns The Siege of Natoyia The Phantoms had two assaults on Nantoya's formidable defences, compounded when the XVIth carried out a successful attack. The Argynguilla Scourging (854. M30) The discovery of Argynguilla in 884.M30 was greeted with pleasure by the Scions Hospitaller, as they saw so many parallels with Iona. Records indicated that it too had been an undersea community of scientists before the Age of Strife, and on approaching the planet they found signs that this civilisation remained intact. An awful revelation, however, awaited beneath the surface. Argynguilla had taken a far darker path than Iona, its scientists embracing the perversion of the human form that so appalled Pionus. They succeeded in wiping out the monsters that dominated the seas, only to take their place. The population had were hardly recognisable even as abhumans, and were dubbed the Malacos. They had become crustacean horrors of chitin and claws, and responded to any intrusion with murderous violence. In a cold fury, Pionus assembled almost his entire Legion to cleanse Argynguilla. This was somewhat complicated by the imperative to take the strongholds intact, wherever possible. This world had excellent chances of holding precious technology, and Pionus would not risk destroying it. At the same time he was aware that some of the Legion's Terran elements were still struggling to adjust after the reunion. He had no desire to lead a divided army. The Malacos cities clung to the ceilings of vast, under hanging caves, the entrances of which were heavily fortified. To aid in their capture, Pionus called upon Scylla Cohort, the aquatic specialists of the Legio Cybernetica. With their automata alongside his warriors, Pionus won several crushing victories, seizing Malacos strongholds and ravaging the armies they sent to challenge him. The modified Collossi, led by their Primus Heracleion, proved especially devastating. However, as the campaign advanced and targeted more elaborate fortresses, he and his captains opted for less conventional strategies. Extensive research had yielded a number of biochemical options for destroying the Malacos, and captured schematics revealed that the citiess filtration systems were located in the rock above the strongholds. It was a weakness that, exploited properly, could destroy the top echelon of the Malacos hierarchy. Modified automata were set to digging tunnels out of the rock above the largest city, allowing access to the caverns that riddled the rock strata. Into these, Pionus sent First Captain Antonidas with several squads of Terran marines. Meanwhile the bulk of the Legion assaulted a nearby fortress as a distraction. Antonidas’ men descended through the caves, using sonar to locate the filtration systems. These men had learned their first lessons in combat among the alleys and tunnels of Mariannan, and overcame the Malacos guards with ease. Simultaneously they released a cocktail of toxins into each of the supply tanks, wiping out almost all the inhabitants. Descending into the city, they set about eradicating the remnants and falsifying distress signals. Believing that their “capital” was under attack, the Malacos sent out a large army and found the city apparently under siege. When they approached the enemy scattered but, as they neared the city itself, the defences suddenly targeted them. With the enemy in disarray the Scions enveloped and destroyed them. All that was left was to seize the remaining, sparsely defended strongholds. The war was a major turning point for the Phantom Squads, as they carved out a niche for themselves within the reformed XIXth Legion where their skills were appreciated. Scylla also earned plaudits from much of the Legion for their aid, with the Scions going so far as to name Heracleion an honourary battle-brother. The Relief of Yamatar and the Mothran War (865-7. M30) Yamatar, one of the first theatres to witness the full power of the reborn XIXth Legion, was a realm defined by a nemesis, shaped almost entirely by their long wars against one particular enemy. While Orks and Abhumans might invade and engage in piracy against them, Yamatar lay close to a stellar waste known as the Mothran Abyss, which spawned a quite singular menace. For many years scholars faced a paucity of records from this campaign, but the sheer scale of the armada drawn up to invade it in 852 M30 - the main strength of three Legiones Astartes, numerous Mechanicum taghmata and some six Excertus Imperialis battle-groups - gives eloquent testimony. Yamatar was beset by xenos monsters, some the equal of Titans in size an power, which slipped between worlds through mysterious portals to wreak havoc wherever they arrived. Their aggression - records exist in which a single beast levelled a hive city - outstripped the bounds of reason, leading to speculation that these were living weapons which had outlived their masters, just as AI constructs have been found fighting or maintaining settlements for long-dead cultures. Others point to the influence of the Warp, citing their bewildering variety of shapes, while others suggested they were in truth the end point of an evolutionary trajectory shaping predators too ravenous for their prey to survive. Predators they certainly were, and fell upon human and alien alike to sate their hunger. If the Imperial records of Mothran were marred by gaps, Yamatar’s speak to a minor Dark Age brought on by the Ke’mano’s destructive predations. Kirya’s Magos suffered most, doing away with many of the Cult Mechanicus’ rituals in order to survive. Tellingly, when they sealed their pacts with House Toho and other mortal worlds, these were alliances of mutual support, far from the hegemony and enslavement that other Mechanicus factions would visit upon Knight Houses. The Forge World's Titans, the Legio Gojira, became especially adept at combating the monsters. But while the armies of Yamatar renewed their strength and learned to slay the Ke’mano, their strength was never enough to pursue and extirpate them. Thus the centuries were coloured on these worlds by a grim, unceasing vigilance, until the Scions Hospitalier, Apostles of War and Eagle Warriors drew near. A fleet led by Second Captain Senaedon made first contact, and in short order Pionus Santor had arrived, deeming the Mothran Abyss more than worthy of his attention. The generals and lords of Yamatar were hardly about to sit out the destruction of the monsters which had tormented them for so long, and they pledged themselves to the Imperium and Pionus’ banner. Some of the Mechanicum representatives were decidedly hesitant, but Pionus was impressed by the Yamatar’s zeal, and accepted. In the ferocious fighting that followed, the Yamatar proved his trust well-founded, and the bonds forged in the Mothran Purge proved strong indeed. The Realm became a protectorate of the Scions Hospitalier, and its various armies became the XIXth Legion’s most dependable auxiliaries. During the Insurrection, these factors would allow Yamatar to weather the Insurrection in the shadow of Icarion’s shadow empire, providing a sanctuary and staging-post for Loyalist armies. The Urfshaykur Mob (881. M30) On campaign in the Gevayn Sector, the Scions became locked in a war against a particularly well-armed Ork Waaagh! which fielded large numbers of Titan-analogues. The Imperial forces suffered heavy losses against the enemy's colossal guns until the Legio Gojira entered the fray and engaged the Orks at close range, winning a great victory and solidifying their alliance with the XIX. The Deusurga Evacuation (890. M30) One of the XIX Legion's most celebrated actions was not really a battle. It took place on the world of Deusurga, a Forge World lost to religious madness. In their lunacy, the rulers of the world bound their consciousnesses together, hoping to create the Omnissiah of the Machine Cult. This fervour infected the common people, and they slaved themselves to their “god”. Unsurprisingly they did not take well to the arrival of others, and the Expeditionary Fleet that first made contact with them soon found itself mired in battle with the "Hereteks" of Deusurga. It promised to be a brutal invasion and requests were immediately made for reinforcement from the Adeptus Astartes. The Scions Hospitaller were first to answer and devastated several armies of Skitarii within hours of their arrival. Recognising the Scions’ overwhelming strength, the Heretech order opted for mass suicide, believing that their "god" would arise from the destruction to rule over all machines. In keeping with their bizarre creed, they had rigged a series of warheads between the planet's tectonic plates to destabilise the entire surface. Salvaged data comms demonstrate that they believed this would spell the doom of the Imperium, as every device would be turned against their owners. Naturally this proved to be nonsense, but the Imperial force was sent into a desperate evacuation as the crust of Deusurga tore itself open. Disaster was averted, however, by Pionus Santor. Analysing the situation in seconds, he began issuing orders before any mortal officers could fully comprehend the situation. Every transport the combined fleets over Deusurga possessed was scrambled. Some of the most remarkable episodes involve Stormbirds brought down to hover just above the ground and being loaded with people and material whilst on the move. The Primarch had meticulously determined which assets to prioritise for extraction. There was insufficient time to rescue every unit and no time was wasted on the uncooperative. While all of the Scions were rescued except for six squads, several platoons of Army troops were lost along with every abhuman and penal regiment committed to the surface, as well as large amounts of weaponry and vehicles. Nonetheless the operation was hailed as a masterful undertaking, and earned the Scions acclaim from officers and common soldiers alike. The planet itself, with its crust ravaged by the Heretechs’ mass suicide, was rendered unsuitable for colonisation, and the Mechanicus, despite retrieving some precious Standard Template Constructs, disdained the idea of rebuilding a Heretech Forge World. Instead, Deusurga became a world of penal colonies over a century later, where the condemned toiled to feed the Great Crusade’s appetite for munitions. The Punician Compliance In 932.M30 two Battalions of the Scions Hospitaller were ordered by the Emperor to aid a VIIth Legion campaign against the Punicia system. A small but powerful stellar empire, the Punicians resisted Compliance with an impressive system of fortifications and mechanised armies. These armies were the first target identified by Raktra, and Pionus devised a strategy to cripple them. The Scions initially fought for a month alongside the Imperial Army, capturing lightly defended, mountainous territory on which to base themselves. This drew the enemy out, and for two days the Imperials engaged them, gradually falling back through the valleys. To their credit the Punicians advanced cautiously, but unbeknownst to them a second Astartes force had been lying in wait. Emerging miles behind enemy lines, seeker squads struck command units and communication facilities. Crippled, the Punician regiments faltered, and were suddenly attacked by the Scions and Army. Although their opponents fought fiercely and resisted for some hours, the Imperials managed to capture the lion's share of the opposing army. Pionus now intended to take the fortresses incrementally, using the fair treatment of his prisoners as a bargaining chip. With the VIIth Legion harrying their exposed units, he reasoned, Punician morale would collapse as their fate became clear. However, having only served alongside the Berserkers on xenocide campaigns, the Scions did not yet understand their cousins’ attitude towards non-Compliant worlds. They would soon learned how much Raktra disdained his brother's gradual approach. Instead, as the Scions began their attacks on outlying fortresses, the Berserkers of Uran converged well behind the Punician lines and laid waste to a regional capital. Army officers were puzzled by the strange lights on the horizon, but Pionus and his lieutenants recognised the signs of phosphex and atomic weapons, and raced to the city, leaving a few companies to secure the gains they had made. In the ensuing standoff in the ruined city, Captain Epinondas almost came to blows with Overlord Innorvak. Both were restrained and the Primarchs managed to remain civil, but the two sides could not reach agreement. Pionus argued that excessive, even cruel violence would prevent an orderly Compliance. Moreover the Destroyers’ weapons had tainted the very earth on which the city had stood, leaving it uninhabitable. Raktra, however, castigated his brother for, as he saw it, prioritising enemy lives over those of the Emperor's soldiers. The Punicians should be punished for their defiance, whereas Pionus’ strategy was perceived as showing weakness. Any man who considered rebellion would have the remains of the fortress to remind him of the consequences. He would not be dissuaded from launching similar assaults on other cities until the Punicians submitted. Troubled by this development but unwilling to deviate from his own course, Pionus set out to end the conflict as quickly as he could. To achieve this he hatched an audacious scheme and, without informing Raktra, led a strike on the planetary capital. It was a brutal battle that claimed over a thousand Scions’ lives, but after a day's fighting the Legion had control of the city. Taking control of the media apparatus, Pionus swallowed his disgust and broadcast images of the Berserkers’ atrocity, promising that more would follow if the planet failed to surrender. To show that he was appalled by their actions would harm the Legions in the enemy's eyes. After a few desultory battles the defenders’ morale gave out, and they submitted to Compliance. The Berserkers moved on while the Scions remained, doing their best to heal the damage and ease the planet's integration. However, irreparable damage had been done to relations between the two Legions and they never cooperated on a large scale again. The Ulgion Rebellion (935. M30) Only a few years after the confrontation on Punicia, the Scions found themselves again at odds with another Legion. The world of Ulgion, only recently brought to Imperial Compliance, had declared an open rebellion against the Imperium's rule, and the 8th fleet of the XXth Legion, along with the Scions Hospitalier, had been dispatched in response. What began as a surgical strike against the Renegade government's palaces rapidly degenerated into a killing spree as the XXth Legion spilled into a hab-district. Spreading out across Ulgion's capital, the XXth began to slaughter all they encountered, to the extent that the preservation of the world's industrial capacity was put at risk. It was only halted when Antonidas of the Scions Hospitalier ordered them to stand down that the slaughter was halted. But even then the blood-bathed Legionaries of the XXth continued to defy him. Kallast, their Legion Master, came forward and challenged Antonidas, mocking the First Captain. Antonidas stood his ground and returned his counterpart's scorn. Finally Kallast demanded an honour duel - to the death. Against the protestations of his warriors, Antonidas accepted and, through his clinical self-control, bested and slew the master of the XXth. The Scions then faced down the XXth over the corpse of their master, ready to execute their peers should they not make an end to this senseless bloodshed. After a moment of hesitation, the XXth caved in and returned to their ships. Antonidas never referred to the incident in public, regarding the act of kinslaying as a necessary but grave sin. The Breaking of the Bodgespire (952.M30) Glaucus led a 10,000-strong detachment of Scions in pursuit of an Ork warband before requesting aid from the nearby Fire Keepers. Niklaas identified the greenskins as a clan of Deathskullz, waging war from a vast voidborne fortress known as the Bodgespire. The two Legion forces then assaulted the Orks midway through their own attack on the Craftworld of Lothindrel, wiping them out. The Qarith Crusade (994-9. M30) It is for good reason that the Qarith War has gained such significance among the campaigns of the Great Crusade. The aliens were a menace to rival any other, and all the more abhorrent for their origins. For just as Medusa, Huron and Madrigal were found in the few surviving records of Old Night, so too was Qarith Prime famous as a paragon of human civilisation. As the Age of Strife descended, however, some combination of uninhibited gene-manipulation and outright mutation twisted the Qarith people so proundly that they could no longer even be called abhuman. When the Warp storms around that region died away and their true nature was discovered, one senior Adept of the Magos Biologis remarked that the Qarith had undergone in five millennia a degree of degeneration that ought to have taken aeons. They butchered their way across a vast swathe west of the Galactic core, preying on baseline humanity for fresh stock and amassing frightful arsenals as they constructed their empire. Even Ork hordes and Mechanicum Forge Worlds fell under their attacks in the centuries before contact with the Imperium. Indeed, several Ork WAAAGHs! have since been linked to the Qarith, driven out of their own territory and seeking either to flee or amass the stength to retaliate. At the time, however, their appearance was utterly unexpected, and the Imperium would pay dearly for its failure to foresee them. It is reckoned by many historians and military scholars that, had the Emperor’s armies not been bolstered by the fruits of conquest and tempered by nearly two centuries of war, they might have suffered even more than they did in the Rangdan Xenocides. The Qarith certainly exacted a murderous toll, overunning swathes of Imperial worlds and laying waste to Legiones Astartes Chapters, Imperial Army regiments and Titan Legions. Elements of ten Legions ultimately participated in the fighting, which raged for six years. The Steel Legion were the first to engage the Qarith, and swiftly became embroiled in savage combat over dozens of systems. The conflict soon drew in the Crimson Lions and Predators, and Hectarion went so far as to summon almost his entire Legion to the theatre. Elements of the Halcyon Wardens and Lightning Bearers, their Primarchs and main strength embroiled in the Koloss Syntheticide, set forth. Even a small detachment of Grave Stalkers took a hand, and a last-ditch attack by the Qarith on Imperial space would be interdicted by the Iron Bears. The most reliable records put the number of Army troops in the region of fifteen billion. But the Qarith's aptitude for thriving on Water Worlds and other, similarly inhospitable planets, ensured that two Legions above all would prove vital to breaking them. The Scions Hospitalier and the Drowned arrived, fleet by fleet, over six months, and before long Pionus Santor had assumed overall command of the campaign. He was the earliest found of the Primarchs in this theatre, and neither Morro nor Hectarion would countenance deferring to one another. For two years the Imperial advance was a slow, grinding affair, fought across hundreds of worlds, and several times it was necessary to repulse Qarith incursions into Imperial territory as well as press the attack. Pionus had assembled over three quarters of his Legion, and seven of the Scions’ senior Déka echelon served directly under him. This force he dispersed widely among the Imperial forces, keeping between a third and half of them at his side throughout. Along with their fellows in the XVIth Legion, the Scions prioritised the ocean worlds where the Qarith abounded, and in these uniquely unforgiving warzones they crossed blades with the xenos again and again. Alchem-weapons normally held in reserve were unleashed dozens of times in the urge to extirpate the Qarith. Compliant populations became ravening monsters, forcing the Imperium to put them to the sword. Whether on land, sea or in the void, the fighting had a truly existential ferocity to it. When Antonidas and Cassandros, the First and Eighth Captains of the Scions, discovered the once-human origins of the Qarith, and confirmed the existence of psychic 'queen' organisms, the Imperials gained the advantage they needed to cripple Qarith forces. These creatures gave the Qarith their pretenatural coordination, and killing them was shown to cast the xenos into disarray. The offensive gained momentum, though they still bled for every inch of soil, and three years later Legiones Astartes vessels tore free of the Warp, and into the Qarith home system. Battles still raged over nineteen other systems, and Pionus had found it expedient to blockade several points along Warp routes to the system, but this was still a flotilla capable of breaking worlds with ease. The four Glorianas formed spearheads, and carved through the fleets and defence stations in their path. The Qarith system boasted six planets, each with a number of moons, and detachments peeled off to assault them as they progressed. Some were broken open with cyclonic torpedoes or massed bombardments followed by swift deployments of space marines and Army troops, but Qarith Prime would clearly prove a far harder prize to take. Pionus and his brothers might have simply blasted the world to atoms, if not for the Emperor’s instructions. Qarith Prime was too important for such a fate. In its fall, it must become a monument to the inexorable advance of Mankind. To this end, the Astartes must make planetfall and scour the Qarith from every corner and crevasse of the world. The world was, like Old Earth hundreds of aeons before, covered with water, save for a supercontinent to the planet’s south pole. The first blows would have to land here, to carve out a foothold from which the XIXth and XVIth could take to the seas, while their cousins completed the land conquest. The Qarith were as aware of this as the invaders; the landmass was forested from shore to shore with fortifications. Defence shields glimmered over their grotesque spires, and high walls and bunkers ran the length of the coastline. Submersibles lurked in the seas, laden with ordnance to be turned against descending aircraft. Missile silos placed among the fortifications undoubtedly held the atomic and alchem payloads that the Qarith had used so destructively before. Any first wave would be shattered within minutes of landing if the defences were allowed to stand. The solution, Antonidas reasoned, was to target not the landmass, but the oceans. Three ships taken from the enemy were dragged to high orbit and positioned to plummet onto shallow regions of the sea fifty kilometres apart, close to the coast. Ranging from six to fourteen kilometres in length, the massive vessels struck with cataclysmic force. Submersibles close by were destroyed or scattered by the resulting tidal waves, and tectonic shocks laid waste to the coastal defences. Into the shallow water of the breaches, drop-pods and gunships descended while bombers launched pinpoint attacks on the silos beyond. At one, the Drowned led the way, supported by the Predators. At the second, Hectarion led his warriors from the front, covered by the Steel Legion’s superlative gunnery. But the largest was assaulted by the Scions Hospitalier: fully half the XIXth Legion, accompanied by the Lightning Bearers and Halcyon Wardens. The Vth Legion contingent was especially important to Pionus’ plans, owing to their prowess in phalanx warfare, while the Scions made little use of breacher units. Backed up by heavy support squads and gunship fire, these carved out an initial foothold which was swiftly expanded by the arrival of regular companies. The Qarith were already responding, directing hundreds of thousands of warriors to the breaches. Pionus made landfall at the heart of the crater with Fifth Captain Mytakis and the entire Depthstrider elite, the first time the Terminators had brought their full power to bear in a single place. On either side of the command force, the Déka captains led their troops into contact. Each had been assigned a taskforce consisting of several battalions. Cassandros lured his enemies forward before striking their position with Deathstorm drop-pods, while Odyssalas broke the Qarith line at his location with a spearhead of Cybernetica robots and dreadnoughts. As the machines carved their way through the infantry, his veteran companies struck at the xenos' exposed flanks, matched every step of the way by the Lightning Bearers under Sentinel Empyon. Nonetheless, their progress was resisted tenaciously as the enemy responded. Gunfire rained down from passages built into the ravaged walls, and beyond these were several kilometres of bunkers, depots and hangars, all fortified and well-garrisoned. Qarith walkers, foul insectoid contraptions, were already taking to the field in response to the dreadnoughts and automata. To counter this, Devastator squads were brought forward, guarded by breachers and veterans, turning heavy weapons against the enemy line-breakers. Others turned their guns to the sea, from which the Qarith emerged to strike at the invaders' rear. The Astartes paid in blood for every stride they took, with thousands falling wounded or slain at each escalade. The initial hours of the battle were to prove among the costliest of the Great Crusade. Power armour and breacher shields could only weather so much. Warriors were mutilated by shot and blade, and energy weapons and explosives simply obliterated many warriors and vehicles. But steep as the price was, they inflicted worse upon the xenos. Bombers scoured guns from the vast walls, and as fighter wings clashed and siege tanks brought down still more of the fortifications, the balance shifted steadily in favour of the Astartes. With the enemy locked in combat with Bepheros' taskforce, Antonidas led a host of assault marines to capture the towers beyond the walls, aiming to prevent the enemy from installing any field artillery there. With Qarith armour and war machines, roughly analogous to Titans, rapidly approaching, this was vital to the Scions’ offensive, for it would allow them to deploy tanks and their own behemoths unimpeded. The Scions paid heavily, but they were unfaltering in the advance and Antonidas was ever the finest war leader they possessed. Under his leadership the Scions stormed the spires. Rapier guns and Thunderfire cannon were installed there and upon the walls, and with the beachhead secure Pionus could bring down the full might of his strike force as Bepheros' warriors enveloped Antonidas'. The Knights of House Toho were the first to engage, emerging from their landers with battle-horns blaring and their guns already seeking out targets. With them came the first tanks and yet more tactical squads, followed by the full might of the Titan Legio Gojira. Existing breaches in the walls were widened by their guns, and new ones torn open. War machines and tanks that would have troubled the Scions' dreadnoughts and automata were little more than a nuisance to Gojira, and they set about the enemy Titan-analogues with their accustomed ferocity. The Nightguard Rex Monstra, the Legio's Primus, accounted for a dozen enemy machines in this phase of the battle alone. In dozens of places along the battlefront shield walls fragmented, disengaging swiftly. After so many engagements, the Qarith recognised the ruse and fell into retreat, but even so they were savaged by massed bolter fire and cut down in their thousands as Predators, Land Raiders and Sicaran battle tanks rumbled through gaps in the XIXth Legion formations. With the second wave, the Scions discarded the phalanx, falling seamlessly into the next phase of their attack as the first regrouped and moved out in their wake. Behind them came the proud cohorts of the Solar Auxilia and war maniples from other Titan Legions. By the time the Qarith had mustered their second counterattack, the armies had swollen to millions of troops and contested hundred of kilometres. Cassandros splintered a Qarith horde of twenty thousand warriors, throwing their counterattack into disarray, and again the way was open to the Imperials. Moving inland, the Scions formed up around the Knights and Titans, bringing in Legion and Army aircraft to support the advance. Over two days of constant fighting the Imperial juggernaut forced its way seventy kilometres into the interior, deploying more men and machines every hour. Through it all, Pionus was on the front lines, relentless and unstoppable. He led his men on, even when they had to force their way over mounds of corpses, both metal and flesh. The scenes captured in picts and helm-feeds strain credulity with their sheer scale and violence. Rad-clouds and dust plunged the world into darkness, with even the bulk of hives swallowed up in the gloom. Beneath these tortured skies the Emperor's armies laid waste the foul works of the Qarith, but never without cost. On the second day Cassandros was slain by a horde of elite Qarith warriors, and his companies only saved from destruction by Odyssalas and Legate Sauhan of the Halcyon Wardens. With ever more Army regiments landing to consolidate their gains and link the Space Marine forces, Pionus left the ground war to Hectarion and took to the sea. Morro did likewise, and the Scions and Drowned began their campaign of extermination with all the tenacity it required. Above and below the water, infrastructure was made the first priority for destruction. Without power, defence systems fell silent, sustenance became harder to replenish and the failure of waste filtration spread disease throughout Qarith populations. Then the Emperor’s soldiers would turn their guns upon the factories and spawning hives. Fought over four months, the battles beneath the waves took many forms. Amphibious gunships and fighters harried vast Qarith submersibles, Phantom squads descended into hives to loose sudden carnage, and armies of space marines and their Cybernetica allies gave battle on the ocean floor, fighting in the monstrous shadows of Toho and Gojira. Solar Auxilia, marinaded in void combat, ably supported the Scions while the Drowned worked alone. The great hives of the aliens were broken open and purged of life. For all their might, they had been constructed with the expectation that any enemy would want to take them. Once an invader decided to simply destroy them, the pressure of the sea could be used to do much of the work in tearing them down. When the Astartes came to the final fortress, it was with little of the bombast that had accompanied planetfall. The Qarith had built it into a huge crevasse, pulling all their remaining forces back to it for a last stand. Pionus, however, saw no reason to indulge them, and the majority of the armies which had assaulted the world were already moving on to new campaigns when the last phase began. Automata were equipped to tunnel deep into the crust, carving out tunnels which were filled with explosives. Detonated from afar, these opened voids that were swiftly filled by the water, tearing loose whole districts of the fortress and sending them to the bottom of the trench. The Scions and Drowned followed, Titans and Knights reducing stone to molten slag while the Astartes delved into the tunnels, using rad-weaponry and flesh-eater alchem weapons to ensure that no trace of the xenos remained. The kill-teams prowled the ruins for four days until Pionus was satisfied that the last of the Qarith were slain. Setting a course for Laeran, he left Qarith Prime to the Mechanicum, who would shape it in preparation for the epochal Triumph. The explosion in remembrancer works depicting the war for Qarith Prime testifies to the importance men had already begun to ascribe to the campaign, as a turning point in the Crusade. Yet the immensity of the conquest would be overshadowed within a year, and the victory parade would change the destiny of Mankind perhaps more profoundly than any battle fought in the Crusade. The Laeran War (000. M31) The Scions aided the Iron Bears' First Grand Wartribe in the eradication of the Laer xenos on their Ocean World, shortly before returning to Qarith Prime for the Triumph. The Destruction of the Wraekan Dreor (007-8, M31) A large XIX Legion contingent, under the leadership of Odyssalas and Glaucus and joined by a sizeable force of House Toho Knights, joined the Iron Bears in this campaign. The Wraekan Dreor were a debased Knight House which had taken up a reaver's existence on the Northeastern Fringe and had been marked for destruction for decades. The two Legions and their Knight allies fought a bloody campaign over a year and a half which broke the power of the Wraekan Dreor and claimed many of their sacred armours for the Imperium. The Perfidy of Untara The Scions were ambushed by the Drowned on Untara, suffering severe casualties with the loss of several senior commanders. The Subjugation of Zbruch The Scions' first major action in the Wars of Expansion was their attack on the Godslayers' homeworld, wiping out the garrison there and placing the planet firmly under Loyalist control. Legion Organisation and Structure Unit and Formation Structure within the Legion The XIXth made a virtue of flexibility, and consequently maintained a relatively sparse command structure. Their Chapter-equivalent bodies tended to be smaller than their counterparts, with task forces being drawn up for each campaign and command given to the captain best suited to the task at hand. With their preference for flexibility and mobile units, Assault, Tactical or Seeker Squads made up the majority of a typical company. Breachers generally served to defend vessels against boarding actions and secure objectives during assaults, while Terminators were used to spearhead assaults against fortified objectives. Individual squads of Depthstriders and Phantoms were dispersed throughout the Legion as necessity dictated, only assembled in full to meet the direst threats. Indeed, the Depthstriders only fought in four theatres as a single unit over the course of the Crusade, the most recent being the final assault on Qarith Prime. Each time the result was the utter destruction of their enemies. Given their close relationship with the Legio Cybernetica, the Scions' Techmarines also included a large number of Praevians, who controlled many of the Legion’s bound automata. As such Arkytes, the Atsakyrios, held a post among the Scions' Triumvirate of Forge Lords, and therefore a seat on the Synedrion. Along with the Legion's Librarians, these officers are largely concentrated among the Déka Battalions. As noted previously, the Apothecarion was exceptionally large, and Apothecaries were dispersed throughout the Legion's companies. A Battalion was ostensibly equal to a Chapter, but they varied extensively in size and composition. Moreover they were liable to gain or lose companies as dictated by the needs of different task forces. This obliged the Scions to maintain an extensive body of Munitorum personnel to keep track and ensure that each fleet was adequately supplied. It also gave rise to a tendency among senior captains to adopt a flagship for their own Battalions; the complement of the Hell's Heart being largely line companies rather than those of the Legion command. The Scions therefore existed as a constantly shifting collection of fleets, lacking the camaraderie nurtured by systems such as the Clans of the Crimson Lions, and instead they relied on the warrior lodges promoted by Alexandros to instil true fellowship across company and Battalion lines. While other Legions' structures proved more efficient with regard to supply and command, the Scions' reorganisation fashioned them into one of the most adaptable forces in the Imperium. Command Hierarchy While an informal seniority of experience and achievement existed, the 1st through 10th Captains - known as the Déka within the Legion - formally represented the highest echelon save for the Primarch. They typically took charge of large expeditions when Pionus could not lead personally. They included First Captain Antonidas and Fifth Captain Mytakis, who led the Phantom and Depthstrider elites respectively. Along with Inna Santor, the Legion’s venerable Dreadnoughts, the Master of the Apothecarion and other specialist officers, these captains formed the Synedrion which advised Pionus. While the Déka served in roles roughly analogous to Lord Commanders, at times it became necessary to spread the Legion more thinly, and not every campaign could be overseen by one of the ten. To overcome this potential obstacle, the position of Theatre Commander was instituted by Pionus. It was a temporary role which would either be allocated by one of the Déka or Pionus himself, or in their absence, by a vote of the captains. This system was meant to ensure that the most suitable commander was selected for any given challenge. It also served to foster a mentality in which the Scions would gladly defer to one another on this basis and combat the danger of excessive pride in their officers, a problem in the days of the old XIX. A side effect of the custom was that specialist officers, including breacher, assault and recon captains, found themselves in overall command roles far more often than their counterparts in other Legions, even advancing to the lofty heights of the Déka. However, the refusal to use the variety of ranks found elsewhere in the Legiones Astartes did cause misunderstandings and friction at times, with the captains or Lord Commanders of other Legions chafing at the notion of sharing command with or even fighting under a "mere captain". The blurred line between Praetors and captains had little effect on consuls, who typically served under the master of their Battalion. As with every other member of the Legion, their assignment could be arbitrarily altered by the designated Theatre Commander, although the system by which these were chosen encouraged restraint in such matters. An officer who exercised his temporary powers tactlessly or unnecessarily would be subject to the displeasure of his superiors, or his fellows when the votes were cast for command in a later theatre. A few captains are known to have been informally punished in this way; when achievement counted in place of formal rank, the threat of it being withheld proved a potent incentive not to antagonise one’s peers. A system of appeal was maintained to ensure that disputes did not fester. Any complaints by captains were directed to members of the Déka or, in rare cases, the Primarch. Pionus himself was unusual among his brothers for not maintaining a formal bodyguard. Instead he took a combination of Phantom Assault Marines, veteran squads or Depthstrider Terminators, depending on the circumstances of a battle. This approach extended to the forces he gathered for his own campaigns; four of the Déka served under him during the Laer War, with the rest leading battalions elsewhere. Legion Wargear Warlord Titan]] Under Pressure Following the reunion with their Primarch, the Scions Hospitalier continued their gene-father’s diligent acquisition of archaeotech, and made full use of the lore of Terra and Mars available to them. Fostering close ties with the Cult Mechanicum, they were often granted the first chance to study the Standard Template Constructs recovered in their campaigns before handing them over. The result is an array of weapons and armour unique to the XIX Legion. Wave blades have been an integral part of the Scions’ arsenal since the reunion, having been designed by the Primarch on Iona. Using a hyper-dense ore found only in Iona, they rely on inbuilt micro-grav impulsers to function effectively. As a result of the added weight, the offer a more powerful swing than typical power weapons, and have served the Scions well against armoured foes such as the Malacos. Though rare, a few have been forged for warriors in other Legions as a mark of friendship, and the Scions treat any Astartes who bears one with immense respect as a result. The rest of the Scions' wargear is tailored largely to their focus on underwater campaigns; perhaps best known are the Phaeton-pattern Stormeagles used for aquatic deployments. This specialisation is mirrored in the Mechanicum detachments seconded to the XIX, which have undergone extensive modifications to support the Scions beneath the waves. The Legion’s artificers also developed a pattern of jump pack that can function both in the void and underwater, as well as sophisticated sonar emitters that allow a legionary to 'see' his surroundings in dark or murky conditions. The legionaries themselves are immediately recognisable in their streamlined armour, optimised for battle in the crushing depths of the ocean. At the time of the Insurrection they favoured the Cyma sub-pattern of Mk IV and the Ceta variant of Cataphracti Terminator armour, although their suits of Mk III, Indomitus and Tartaros suits were likewise altered. These were kept fully sealed in the field, the Scions disdaining the carefree practice of going into battle without making full use of the protection available to them. Obscura-pattern Jump Pack Ubiquitous to the Phantom Assault Squads of the XIX Legion, these variant jump packs were capable of functioning underwater and in the void. They also provide the wearer with longer 'boosts' than most standard variants. Tenya'ba-Pattern Bolter Optimised for use underwater and therefore in high demand from the Scions. Note: Integrated harpoon and combat blade attachment; the latter was used extensively during the counter-attack as the Scions isolated and wiped out small groups of Insurrectionists. Yamatar-pattern 'Shark Tooth' Variant Power Sword Originating with the vassal soldiers of House Toho, these blades allowed a strong enough warrior to immobilise an enemy for his comrades to deliver a killing blow, or inflict even more ruinous injuries when the blade was withdrawn from the wound. War Disposition On the Day of Revelation the Scions stood at 180,000 Astartes, dispersed across several fleets. Typically Pionus kept three captains of the Déka at his side, rotating them as circumstances dictated. The rest all led individual Expeditionary Fleets, often delegating command of smaller branches to less senior captains. It is noted that, although no Battalion exceeded 10,000 Astartes in size, each Déka captain maintained a core group of companies at his side. These fleets were augmented to varying degrees by maniples of automata, often directed by the Legion's Praevians. The size and composition of each Battalion varied somewhat according to the preference of its leader. For example, Glaucus and later Diokles commanded more armoured units than any of his fellows, while Bepheros was known to deploy an unusually large number of seeker squads. Antonidas preferred to command relatively small forces, a result of his penchant for flexibility and his frosty demeanour. Similarly, Inna Santor commanded a small fleet of her own, usually alongside her brother, overseeing Apothecarion detachments to all other Expeditions undertaken by the Scions. These were usually despatched to any theatres where particularly dangerous or otherwise 'interesting' enemies had been encountered. The Master of the Forge, on the other hand, remained on Iona unless he was required on active duty. This only occurred in especially drawn-out campaigns such as the Qarith War. Dreadnoughts were relatively few in number among the Scions, as underwater actions often made it impossible to save a wounded Legionary. This was what drove the Scions to secure such large numbers of automata. After the Yamatar campaign, they gained the Legio Gojira and Knights of House Toho, vastly increasing their strength. These came with their own powerful Taghmata, and the Scions operated in tandem with several Army regiments. The thinly spread nature of the Legion would save them from total devastation on the Day of Revelation. Although The Drowned took a murderous toll on the force that accompanied Pionus to Untara, less than half the Legion was present. Other ambushes were devised, but most were foiled by the Scions. Antonidas was targeted by a cell of Dune Serpents who had pledged themselves to Icarion, only to overcome his attackers. Realising the situation, he swiftly rallied the various fleets and took charge of the Legion while Pionus was incapacitated. Over the following decades, they would make the enemy rue their failure. Legion Gene-Seed Legion Beliefs Legion Combat Doctrine Notable Scions Hospitalier *'Pionus Santor' - Primarch of the Scions Hospitalier. *'Antonidas' - Earning his spurs in the Solar Conquests, Antonidas displayed an exceptional gift for bladework early on, and rose swiftly to high rank within the Stygian Phantoms. Troubled by the hubris that so often infected his brothers, he achieved his position as much with his level head as skill, saving his warriors from near disaster on multiple occasions. His response to the problems he perceived was to embark on a programme of reform, although he found that many of his captains dragged their feet, resenting his command. The discovery of Pionus, therefore, would prove a positive boon to the Legion Master. Antonidas served as First Captain of the Scions Hospitalier from the reunion with his Primarch, during which time his reputation as a fearsome warrior only grew. Grim and taciturn to all but his closest brothers, he adapted the finesse of the Stygian Phantoms to fit the surgical ways of the new XIXth Legion, and performed both stealth missions and fast attacks with lethal precision. His military mind was no less deadly, and he would give the Traitors ample reason to rue their failure to kill him. The First Solar War would see Antonidas lead his brothers independently of his master for much of the campaign, as he often had during the Great Crusade, in a bid to slow the invading forces. At Revan, he took charge of the Scions' frontline defences, accounting personally for dozens of Warbringers both during the long retreat and in the ferocious counterattacks which followed. *'Inna Santor' *'Primus Medicae Tallus Orion' *'Second Captain Metis Odyssalas '- Raised on Iona, Odyssalas aspired more to a station within the Apothecarion than high command, but fate seems to have chosen him for a grander destiny. Antonidas took an interest in Odyssalas during the compliance of Requa 4-Beta, when he saw the young Apothecary challenge an Eldar champion who had severely wounded his captain. Odyssalas was sorely overmatched and his defiance would have been in vain had Antonidas not intervened, but the First Captain recognised his potential and, after saving his life, set about mentoring him. Odyssalas’ apprenticeship brought to light an aptitude for command and close-quarters combat. This was furthered by a collaborative campaign alongside the Warriors of Peace, well known for their blademasters. Odyssalas became fond of the guan dao polearms used by the XVIIth as he honed his skills, and while relations between the two Legions soured shortly afterwards, he adopted the glaive as his weapon of choice. *'Third Captain Epinondas' *'Fourth Captain Bepheros' *'Fifth Captain Darius Mytakis '- Mytakis distinguished himself from an early age in the use of then newly-introduced Terminator armour, and served as a captain or "Nautarch" in the first cadre of Depthstriders. In time he came to hold the dual honours of the Fifth Captaincy and overall command of this elite body as Nautarch Alpha, which often made him de facto bodyguard to Pionus himself. As a consequence, Mytakis fought alongside his Primarch more often than any of his Deka brothers. *'Seventh Captain Glaucus '- Predecessor and mentor to Diomes, Glaucus was one of the oldest and most distinguished Ionan Scions. He was one of the principal commanders in the awful days of the Vremalkyr Incursions, holding the borders of Yamatar against the godlike power of the alien beings until the Emperor led a relief force which destroyed them. On the Day of Revelation, Glaucus held temporary command of the Hell's Heart when the Drowned turned upon the Scions at Untara. Glaucus devised the extraction of Pionus from the surface, sacrificing himself and the flagship to ensure the Primarch's survival. *'Cassandros' - At the time of the Qarith Crusade, Cassandros held the Eighth Captaincy. He was slain on Qarith Prime *'Senaedon' - One of the first Ionan Scions to achieve high command, Senaedon commanded the Second Battalion until his death in the Wekheim Offensive against the Khrave. He was succeeded by Odyssalas as Second Captain. * ]]Galen Diomes '- captain of the Seventeenth Company, Diomes was the protege of Glaucus. Having assumed temporary command of the ''Nereid ''while his mentor was aboard the ''Hell's Heart, Diomes took his ship into low orbit to rescue Pionus before leading the XIXth's retreat. *'''Therskites - Having served for two decades as a Divemaster, Therskites ascended to command of the Thirty-First company - also known as Nautus Gamma, as a Depthstrider company - in the second year of the Qarith War. An exemplary line officer, he regularly served under Darius Mytakis, leading the Fifth Brotherhood’s entire force of Depthstriders when his commander was busy elsewhere. On Untara, he would once again serve in Mytakis’ stead, marshalling Nauton Gamma in a last stand that would allow Mytakis to deliver the wounded Pionus to safety. *'Mearannos' - A veteran sergeant on the Day of Revelation, Mearanos was thrust into company command on Untara. This marked the beginning of his rise to high command, culminating with the founding of the Scions of the Abyss Order under his mastery. Legion Fleet * Hell's Heart'' (Gloriana-class Battleship)' - Constructed over Mars to serve as the XIX Legion's flagship * '''Atlantean * Clarity of Incision * Allodynia '' * ''Nereiad'' (Battleship)' - flagship of Seventh Captain Glaucus and later Galen Diomes * 'Athogeion (Ironclad-class Battleship)' * 'Heikuros (Ironclad-class Battleship)' * '''Silencer ''(Battleship) - Antonidas' flagship * 'Cyclos ''(Battleship)' - Odyssalas' flagship, until its destruction over Untara * Pale Trident * Benthic Legion Relics *''Hoarfrost'' - A forearm-mounted blade, Hoarfrost was unique among the weapons discovered during the Great Crusade. A relic recovered on Natnuat Prime, the materials used in its construction defied classification by even the most knowledgeable Adepts. It resembled a shard of the void itself, and emanated a lethal chill rather than the heat of a power weapon. This weapon is currently used by Antonidas. Legion Appearance Legion Colours Legion Badge Notable Quotes Feel free to add your own By the Scions Hospitalier Feel free to add your own About the Scions Hospitalier Gallery Scions Hospitalier Color.png|Scions Hospitalier Legion iconography Scion Hospitalier.png|Scions Hospitalier Legion appearance Scions Hospitalier_Phantom Assault.png|Scions Hospitalier Phantom Assault Legionary with Wave Blade Category:S Category:Legions